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Catterpillar team along with the deviceCommonly people use refrigerator as food and beverage cooler, while to heat they use stove or magic com. The devices in addition to need electricity also causing global warming.

Five students of Faculty of Engineering of Brawijaya University try to solve the problems by innovating a portable food storage using solar power. The device named as Cooler and Heater Portable from TEG and TEC Module with Self Source and Automation Temperature Controller (CATTERPILLAR) was created by Muhammad Husni Mubarok, Lugas gada, Machfud Firmansyah and Imam mawardi.

"Portable heater and cooler from TEC and TEG could change electricity to be hot and cold even converting temperature difference as electrical power generator," said Husni. He explained that electricity to be used is derived from solar panel and Thermo Electric Generator (TEG) which could generate electricity and stored in a battery and then transferred into Thermo Electric Cooler (TEC) to cold and heat the vessel.

Solar panelSolar panels are functioned as solar energy collectors. The solar energy collected from the solar panel will be accommodated in a battery and directed into TEC. It will convert the electrical energy to become heat and cold.

Husni explained, it takes 6 hours to collect solar energy. In addition, the best time to collect heat is at 09:00 a.m. until 04:00 p.m.

The energy collected and stored are very high at the time of blazing start at 11:00 a.m. until 02:00 p.m. if it is counted in volt dimension, then the stored energy to collect is around 17 volt," he said.

Energy which is collected and stored in the battery could be used to light five until seven LEDs.

"In addition to be used for food heating and cooling, the device also not generate pollution and its temperature could be set as we wish," he said.

The hot temperature could be set into 40 until 50 degree celcius, while for cold temperature could reach 0 degree celcius.

Catterpillar could store up to nine bottled water sized 600 ml and ten servings of food.

Catterpillar which is the first time to be created in Indonesia is expected to be immediately patented and could be made in international scale.

"We still have to improve its value of beauty from the box shape caterpillar and so people will be interested," said Imam. [Oky Dian/Humas UB/trans. Denok]